River

If you’re looking for something good to watch on television that does not require a huge time investment, I highly recommend the superb BBC detective series River. Written by the Welsh playwright and screenwriter Abi Morgan, it stars Stellan Skarsgård as Detective Chief Inspector John River and Nicola Walker as Detective Sergeant Jackie “Stevie” Stevenson. Although only 6 episodes long, River is one of the most memorable detective shows I have ever watched. 

The central plot device is that DCI River suffers from vivid and often disturbing hallucinations. As River struggles to hide his psychological disorder from his superiors at the Metropolitan Police Service, he must solve a shocking murder that rocked the police force as well as his own fragile psyche. One of the many fascinating themes of the series is that mental illness does not preclude someone from still being highly effective at their job. Indeed, DCI River’s psychological and emotional torment actually makes him a better detective because it helps him think through the clues he discovers. But that only scratches the surface of Morgan’s rich and exceptionally well-crafted story. The show is great from start to finish. 

I’m afraid to give more details because there is a major plot twist about 10 minutes into the first episode. The show originally aired on the BBC in 2015 to rave reviews. The Telegraph’s reviewer called it “superlatively creepy” and the “most moving thing I’ve seen on television for some time.” The New York Times deemed it “a first-rate psychological study” that grows “deeper, darker and more intricate with each episode.” And the Irish Times described it as “pitch perfect.” On Rotten Tomatoes River has a 100% Tomatometer rating and an audience approval score of 94%.

River is available on Netflix  and Amazon. Most highly recommended. 

Comments

[Jeff]

Episode 1 very promising if a bit unnerving. Looking forward to more.

[Anthony Gaughan]

I'm glad you are enjoying it, Jeff!